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Show Ten OfCflcck Wsfe ' i ..... by David Flelsher After it's all said and done... The General Election is over and we have three new people who will serve on the City Council for the next four year. The frenzied period of campaigning has come to a dramatic halt and everybody, especially those candidates who were running for office, can now relax and resume living a normal .- life in Park City. We can all get back to the simpler things", like worrying about hitting pot holes in the roadwondering if there's going to be enough snow this winter, and screaming at realtors about their developments:"' Several people have asked' me who I voted for this week, but I have to be careful because I'm a newspaper reporter and should be fair to everyone. I'm not pretencious enough to think I'm totally unbiased; I have iavorites just like " everybody else. Two of the people I voted for didn't make it. But three of the people I voted for did make it. And the other person I was undecided. I think that should be sufficiently evasive so as not to reveal anything. And in addition to that, 1 am both pleased and disappointed in the results. I am pleased in the sense that I am fully satisfied with the people who got elected; but on the other hand, I am disappointed because there won't be any more campaign cocktail parties. It's difficult to be a candidate for public office. You have to shake a lot of hands, smile and not oe rude to anyone (unless the person is not registered to vote; and in that case, the candidate hopeful can do whatever he or she wants to the person, including throwing eggs and spreading nasty rumors). Of course, the ideal thing any candidate should do is make strong speeches. You need to say things that you believe in and that the public believes in. Again, ideally, everything the candidate says should be received warmly by the voters. But since that is impossible, the other alternative is to host cocktail parties and give out free balloons. I know from experience what it's like to run for office. I ran for vice president of my fraternity when I was in college, and it was something I'll never forget. Even though I had the .fraternity sweetheart on my side (not . literally, unfortunately), I still had to spend a lot of time talking to people I didn't especially like, like Horace Greenspan, the biggest nerd I ever met in my life. I won the election, probably with the help of the nerd. Campaigning for office is almost like an unnatural act because at times you have to make sure not to hurt anybody's feelings even though deep down inside you would like to. Real estate people are very vulnerable for attack in Park City these days, and I might add, unjustifiably so many times. Now if you're running for office and you don't like a particular development in town, you can't go up to the realtor and say. "I hate that development! I hate your firm! I hate you! I hate the color of your hair!" This could possibly cost you his vote. Talk to the realtor only about the good developments he's done, and if he hasn't been involved in any good developments, give him a brightly colored balloon and discuss the weather. You might, in a subtle manner, suggest to the realtor that he consider another line of business. But be careful, because if you're not elected, he might decide to build a skating rink on top of your house. We are now experiencing post-election blues; all the excitement is over and the results have been tabulated. What we need is a city-wide party with the winners and losers bumping shoulders, laughing and having a good time. And since candidates wouldn't be campaigning anymore, they would be able to say whatever they liked to anyone. But please, let's at least have balloons at the party. I really like balloons. As I walk up Main Street, I hear the Ten O'Clock Whistle. |